Atlanta Braves Top Prospects Report - August Edition

We take a look at some of the Atlanta Braves top prospects and how their month has gone to this point.

Atlanta Braves prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. has had an up and down August. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

With August already halfway done, it’s time to check in and see how the futures of the Atlanta Braves are doing down in the farm system. In this edition, we’ll be checking the top prospects currently with the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers. 

Some have been playing their best baseball of the year while some are struggling to break out of slumps. 

Nacho Alvarez Struggling Since His Demotion

It has not been a good month down in Triple-A for shortstop prospect Nacho Alvarez since he was sent back down to Gwinnett. Big league pitching ate him alive during his call-up and he carried the cold spell back to Triple-A.

So far in August, the Braves’ No. 4 prospect is batting .162 with a .216 slugging and no home runs across 37 at-bats. He’s still getting on base quite a bit with a .354 on-base percentage in August, so the plate discipline is there. He’s just not producing when he puts the ball in play.  

Perhaps it’s partially bad luck. It could also be he’s in his head a bit. 

Waldrep Has Best Triple-A Start to Date

Braves No. 3 Prospect Hurston Waldrep took the mound for Gwinnett on Friday and was literally unhittable. He pitched five no-hit, scoreless innings while striking out five and walking six. 

So his command was a tad messy, but let's call him effectively wild. It’s not surprising it took 90 pitches to get through five when there were six walks, but credit where credit is due. The game was called after six innings, so it’s not like he could have gone much deeper anyway. 

In his last two starts, Waldrep has given up one run over nine innings. Across three starts in August, he has a 3.86 ERA. What’s important to note is he has improved with each start. 

It’s highly doubtful we see Waldrep back in the big leagues this season. But a strong finish to the year would show he’s progressed in his development and could be a contributing factor next season. 

Baldwin Seeing Ball Well in August

No. 5 prospect catcher Drake Baldwin has had his strongest month in Triple-A so far. In 39 at-bats in August, Baldwin is batting .359 with no home runs, 13 RBIs and a .874 OPS. 

He’s not showing a lot of pop. He’s had three total extra-base hits, but he’s been clutch in other ways. He’s had five multi-hit games so far this month including back-to-back three-hit nights on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Baldwin’s chances of making his Major League debut this season are slim, but he’s definitely going to be a candidate to join the team in spring training in the spring and get some opportunities with Atlanta in 2025. 

A.J. Smith-Shawver in Need of Strong Outing

The Braves No. 2 prospect has had a difficult 2024, and August was no exception. In eight innings over two starts, Smith-Shawver has allowed six earned runs (6.75 ERA) on eight hits and six walks. He’s also given up a home run in both starts. 

He’s allowing a lot of base runners, and hitters have taken full advantage of it. He’s only pitched more than three innings and allowed fewer than two runs just once dating back to May 1. 

Between his inconsistency on the mound and having missed a month due to an injury, this has been far from Smith-Shawver’s year. It’s one of those times where he just needs to make it to the end of the season so he can regroup for next year.